It's ARTCON
Founded in 2015 with the landmark retrospective of legendary artist Kalidas Karmakar at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh, Shilpakala Academy, and Alliance Française de Dhaka, ARTCON – Art Consultancy emerged as a pioneering initiative dedicated to representing artists and preserving Bangladesh’s cultural heritage. From its inception, ARTCON has been at the forefront of curating major exhibitions, publishing art books and catalogues, archiving works of old masters and contemporary artists, and supporting galleries with specialized services in photography, cataloguing, and media promotion. Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, ARTCON has built a reputation for bridging the local and global art community.
The agency’s roots trace back to the experience of its founder, ARK Reepon, who worked for over a decade at Bengal Foundation and Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, where he served as Chief Designer, shaping some of the most significant exhibitions and art publications in Bangladesh’s modern art history. During this period, he collaborated with SKIRA in Milan on internationally acclaimed publishing projects. He later joined Gallery Cosmos and became the Founding Chief Creative Officer of Cosmos Books, where he further expanded his expertise in art publishing and creative direction, including collaborations with Somogy in Paris. Encouraged by Paris-based art expert Dominique Stall, and with the understanding and support of Cosmos Group Chairman Enayetullah Khan and artist Kalidas Karmakar, Reepon transformed years of expertise into a new model for Bangladesh—an art agency that could provide a range of services, including consultancy, exhibitions, archiving, publications, and international collaborations.
From those early days, ARTCON has steadily built a reputation for being both innovative and authentic. Its projects span across major exhibitions such as Alluvial Soul.Soil.Symbol by Kalidas Karmakar at the Bangladesh National Museum, Photoseum by Nasir Ali Mamun, and the monumental Shahabuddin: A Retrospective 1973–2023 by Shahabuddin Ahmed. The agency has also produced and published landmark catalogues and monographs. Notable publications include KALIDAS: Alluvial Soul.Soil.Symbol (2024), SM Sultan: The Cosmic Journey of a Fugitive (2018), Shahabuddin: A Retrospective 1973–2023 (2023), Gentle Grass (2022), and Face of Life (2025), alongside the 19th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 2020 Publication, a three-part volume featuring nearly 500 artists from 114 countries. These projects not only celebrate Bangladesh’s masters and contemporary talents but also place them firmly in international contexts.
ARTCON has consistently incorporated technology into its mission to preserve and expand access to art. During the pandemic, it played a vital role as the virtual exhibition partner of the Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography 2021, developing one of its largest-ever VR projects and extending the festival to audiences worldwide. Its virtual archives now include exhibitions such as Baseer: An Eloquent Mind, Shahabuddin: A Retrospective 1973–2023, the 19th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh and Duality (দ্বৈধ) by Brihatta Art Foundation, presented at the Dhaka Art Summit 2023, and many other exhibitions at various galleries. The VR platform also hosts studio visits of renowned artists like Kazi Ghiyasuddin, Shahid Kabir, Kalidas Karmakar, Ronni Ahmed, and young sculptors Anisuzzaman Faroque and Aminul Islam Ashique.
Over the years, ARTCON has worked alongside some of the most respected institutions and galleries, including the Bangladesh National Museum, Shilpakala Academy, Alliance Française de Dhaka, Bengal Foundation, Gallery Cosmos, Gallery Twenty One, Athena Gallery of Fine Arts, Bengal Art Lounge, Chitrak Gallery, Zainul Gallery (Dhaka University), EMK Centre, Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC), DRIK, Cosmos Books, Brihatta Art Foundation, and Duniyadari Archive. Its collaborations have led to a body of work that spans curatorial innovation, archival documentation, community engagement, and international publishing. ARTCON thrives on collaborations with curators, art historians, designers, photographers, and institutions, shaping a dynamic and diverse ecosystem.
Alongside exhibitions and publications, ARTCON has become a trusted source for acquiring authentic artworks. It has exclusively managed private sales from the collections of the Bengal Foundation, Gallery Cosmos, the Kalidas Karmakar family collection, and other prominent collectors. The agency also conducted online auctions with SOWDA.com, featuring works by masters like Shahabuddin Ahmed and Kalidas Karmakar. Beyond client collections, ARTCON has built its own collection through exhibitions, direct purchases, and gifts from artists, including an extensive body of drawings by Kalidas Karmakar.
ARTCON also maintains a major artwork image archive, covering an extraordinary range of Bangladesh’s art history. The archive features works by Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hassan, SM Sultan, Safiuddin Ahmed, Kalidas Karmakar, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Shahid Kabir, Rokeya Sultana, Alok Roy, Alakesh Ghosh, Shamim Shikder, Maksuda Iqbal Nipa, Nasir Ali Mamun, Vaskor Rasha, and many contemporary and emerging artists. This growing archive serves as both a preservation tool and a resource for researchers, curators, and collectors.
At its core, ARTCON embodies creativity, inclusivity, and authenticity. In a field often challenged by fakes and misattribution, the agency has distinguished itself with rigorous research and a commitment to honesty. It is both small and agile yet backed by decades of national and international experience. Its impact reaches beyond exhibitions and catalogues—it is building a cultural archive for the future, supporting artists across generations, and connecting Bangladesh’s art with the global stage.
As ARTCON moves forward, its vision becomes increasingly clear: to represent Bangladeshi art internationally, to expand the reach of its publications and archives, and to utilize cutting-edge technology to make art accessible across borders. From curating retrospectives of masters to producing virtual exhibitions that transcend physical limitations, ARTCON continues to redefine what an art agency can be—not only for Bangladesh but for the world. External Links: https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/artcon-countrys-first-art-agency-introduced-3d-vr-exhibitions-269662 https://newagebd.net/article/152030/4-shahabuddin-paintings-sold-at-intl-auction-by-sowda-artcon https://www.dhakacourier.com.bd/news/Culture/Chobi-Mela-Shunno-goes-virtual-for-the-next-six-months-with-ARTcon/3241 https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-others/91146/alluvial-rhythm-of-kalidas-karmakar-on-display https://www.newagebd.net/article/147642/shahabuddin-ahmeds-artworks-put-up-on-virtual-auction https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/234575/106th-birth-anniversary-of-shilpacharya-zainul https://bdpreneurs.org/shahbuddins-artworks-at-online-auctions-leave-audiences-enthralled/ https://www.observerbd.com/news/100890 https://www.dhakatribune.com/showtime/231841/bangabandhu-reflected-on-canvas https://www.daily-sun.com/magazine/details/170862 https://today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/last-page/eminent-sculptor-shamim-sikder-passes-away-1679424973 https://discover.matterport.com/account/cK2Yti3UV3g https://www.prothomalo.com/entertainment/ https://unb.com.bd/bangla/category/ https://bangla.bdnews24.com/glitz/6e1fhp78xe https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/l9zrvraas9 https://samakal.com/sylhet/article/88059/ https://www.channelionline.com/ https://www.dhakacourier.com.bd/news/Culture/Artist-Shahabuddin-Ahmed's-paintings-sold-at-international-auction-by-Sowda-and-ARTcon/3871 https://www.dhakacourier.com.bd/news/Culture/Chobi-Mela-Shunno-goes-virtual-for-the-next-six-months-with-ARTcon/3241 https://www.ntvbd.com/bangladesh/news-1526109?amp https://www.unb.com.bd/bangla/category/ https://www.prothomalo.com/entertainment/
